News

RGU researchers to help keep Fife moving

Thursday, 14 September, 2017

Researchers from Robert Gordon University (RGU) have been
commissioned to carry out a study into the transport-related problems faced by
jobseekers in Fife.

The research team, from RGU’s School of Creative and
Cultural Business, will be working in partnership with West Fife Enterprise and
the Fife Employability and Training Consortium
on the study which is entitled Keep Fife Moving.

Through a series of interviews and discussion groups, the
researchers will investigate the workplace travel difficulties that Fife
residents face, particularly those living in rural communities and in the more
disadvantaged areas of Central Fife. The research team will also gather
opinions on potential solutions to these problems, such as low-cost or free
driving lessons for jobseekers, car pooling and lift sharing arrangements, or
some form of community-led ‘dial-a-bus’ scheme.

The study, which will continue until November, is being
financed by the European Social Fund and the Scottish Government under the
Social Innovation Fund.

“Lack of access to appropriate and affordable transport
plays a key role in driving social exclusion and isolation,” said Professor
Gray. “The Keep Fife Moving project will aim to address this by finding ways to
support jobseekers from Fife’s rural and most deprived communities in gaining
access to more suitable travel options.”